49ers' Victory Is a Big Hit / S.F. offense suffers beating

Ira Miller, Chronicle Staff Writer

Published 4:00 am, Monday, October 2, 1995

It wasn't pretty. And it wasn't easy. The 49ers began yesterday's game against the New York Giants with a star defensive player out of action, and they ended it with their biggest offensive stars on the injured list, too.

But in between, the 49ers beat the Giants, 20-6. They scored both their touchdowns in the last two minutes of the first half, and their defense, even without the injured Bryant Young, once more stuffed the opponent's running game. Now it's a week off, and rarely has a team needed one more than the 49ers.

"I would say today was the most physical game I have ever played," said Jerry Rice, who was knocked out of the game for one play in the second quarter with a mild concussion suffered on a scary mid-air hit, then returned to score a touchdown.

Ever the consummate competitor, Rice said he never considered remaining on the sidelines, not after hearing the Candlestick crowd chanting his name, but the bye week, that's something else again. You think maybe he's looking forward to it?

"Yes. Yes. Yes," Rice said, repeating for emphasis. "I can't wait. I told my coaches and the trainers I need five days off."

That's the kind of day it was, this old-fashioned, 49ers-Giants game rife with hard hitting if lacking the high drama of their meetings a few years ago. And this game served an important purpose for San Francisco, too: The 49ers' victory, combined with Dallas' first defeat, sent them into the bye week tied with the Cowboys at 4-1 for the best record in the NFC (and home-field advantage in the playoffs).

Oh yes, the 49ers again are tied for first place in the NFC West because the Rams also lost for the first time. But to those outside the organization, winning the division remains simply a formality along the way to January.

Rice, who caught his sixth touchdown pass in five games, has company in sick bay. Quarterback Steve Young, his accuracy once more reduced to a near-mortal 65 percent, said he would undergo an MRI exam today on his left shoulder to try to find out what's causing soreness in his rotator cuff. Young said he hasn't been the same since Atlanta linebacker Jessie Tuggle slammed him at the sidelines three weeks ago.

Young, who last year completed more than 70 percent of his passes, completed 26 of 40 yesterday and said he was struggling even if it doesn't look that way.

"I certainly haven't been as accurate the last three weeks," said Young. "I'm going to take the week off so I can get more pinpoint. My accuracy is not what it should be when I'm healthy."

Also, defensive end Dennis Brown, who played the entire game, is scheduled for arthroscopic surgery on his right knee today, and cornerback Eric Davis didn't play yesterday because of a problem with a groin that began bothering him late last week.

Free safety Merton Hanks suffered a severely bruised left thigh when he ran into a New York offensive lineman on a fourth-quarter blitz. Running back Derek Loville also sustained a bruised left thigh and didn't play after halftime. And No. 3 wide receiver Nate Singleton suffered a broken collarbone.

"This was a tough, physical ballgame," 49ers coach George Seifert said. "You could tell in the locker room right after the game. We have a tired bunch of players looking forward to this bye."

Besides an opportunity to get healthy, the 49ers, who resume the schedule in 13 days at Indianapolis, can use the time off this week to work on a couple of problems that are turning into disturbing trends.

For the third game in a row and fourth time in five games, the 49ers did not score a first-quarter touchdown. And, for the third game in a row, an opponent converted half, or nearly half, of its third-down plays into first downs.

"There weren't a lot of great plays today, but it was enough," said Young, a clear reference to the 49ers' usually high-powered offense producing only one play longer than 16 yards. "This is the time of year, games four, five, six, when just winning is just great. I'm glad we're not playing our best ball in September and October."

For bright spots, there was the work of Junior Bryant and Oliver Barnett, filling in for Bryant Young at defensive tackle, and Marquez Pope playing well at cornerback. The Giants' Rodney Hampton, who rushed for 149 yards last week, was held to 27 yards on 11 carries before suffering a broken hand that forced him to leave the game.

The game got off to something of a sluggish start, three of the game's first four passes being tipped before one was caught, the Giants making their physical intentions known early with a series of blitzes from their nickel defense and resounding hits from the secondary.

It was tied, 3-3, midway through the second quarter when Tim McDonald deflected a 45-yard field-goal attempt by Brad Daluiso. On the 64-yard drive that followed, Young got walloped hard when he quarterback sneaked for a first down, Loville made a nice after- the-catch effort to keep it going, and J.J. Stokes made his first NFL catch.

There was 3:31 left in the half when Rice leaped to catch a pass from Young at the Giants' 16-yard line, and cornerback Phillippi Sparks came from behind, at full speed, to cut his legs out from under him while Rice was in the air. Rice landed with a thud on his right side, somehow holding the ball.

Rice, tended to on the field, said he was never knocked out, just got a "little stinging sensation."

"It was legal," Rice said. "It was a good blow. I was very fortunate to get up from that one."

He went to the sidelines, and the fans chanted, "Jerry, Jerry . . ." One play later, Rice trotted back in.

"The second I went to the sideline, I told 'em I was OK," Rice said. "When you hear the fans chanting like that, it gets your blood going."

William Floyd scored the first touchdown on a one-yard run with 1:57 left in the half. The Giants went three-and-out, and Mike Horan shanked the punt. Singleton was hurt on the next play, a 21- yard pass from Young, the 49ers' longest play of the day. On fourth and three, New York safety Jessie Campbell was called for pass interference against Rice -- a good call -- and three plays later, on third and four, Rice caught a 16-yard touchdown pass from Young.

There were 26 seconds left in the half, the score was 17-3, and basically that was the ballgame.

"Things are not always going to go as smoothly as planned," Rice said. "You have to find a way to win."